How To Turkey Hunt: Tips For A Successful Hunt
Learning how to turkey hunt is rewarding in many ways. Not only do you get to enjoy the outdoors, but your license fees go towards maintaining wildlife habitat and you may very well supply this year’s Thanksgiving guest of honor! The first step is to get the appropriate turkey hunting gear and a license. Each state has somewhat different seasons and laws that can be found online and at most gun shops. As with any other task worth doing, the preparation is half the battle. Collecting your equipment can be done from the convenience of home on your computer and should be done as soon as possible each year.
Turkey Hunting Gear
These magnificent birds are bagged with either a shotgun or a bow. These weapons need to be fitted to you by an expert. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with your gun patterns at several different distances before you go out in the field. Aside from your weapon, there are many items that will make your hunt more successful. Basic hunting equipment includes the following:
• turkey loads
• shotgun sling
• choke tube (to direct the shot pattern)
• box call and extra chalk
• gun rest
• compass
• first aid kit
• maps
• knife
• water bottle or Camelbak
• insect repellant
• flashlight
• binoculars
Other equipment may include a camouflage blind, where legal, decoys, a cushioned seat or stool, camera, trail ribbon, and other types of calls, such as glass, tube, push-pin, wingbone, or diaphragm, just to name a few. It is a good idea to try out various calls to see which one works best for you and then practice to get the right sound and rhythm. There are online resources that can save hunters a significant amount of time and money. This is also true for apparel. To be warm, comfortable, and safe, hunters wear a camouflage shirt, pants, jacket, cap, and even socks. Boots that are both water and snake proof are a good idea, and a rain poncho can come in handy.
Location, Location, Location
Finding the right place to hunt requires scouting a region and then getting the landowner’s permission, if it is private property. Property rights are serious business and should never be ignored or violated. Most thoughtful hunters make a point of giving the landowner a gift of one kind or another in return for their generosity. Information on good wild turkey hunting tips and locations can be found online at the NWTF website.
Wild Turkey Hunting Tips
The hardest part about hunting is waiting. These birds feed on grasses and insects, making fields a likely place to find them. They also roost in trees, so that’s another place to look. Crowding any wild animal is the fastest way to make it disappear. Using your calls judiciously and waiting very, very patiently is often all it takes to bag that prize winning bird. Most are taken during the fall, when toms are chasing after hens. Listening carefully for wild flocks and moving in quietly will get you into position. Knowing your range and aiming ability will help determine just how close you have to get to get that bird!
With these wild turkey hunting tips, the right gear, and a little patience, you can successfully learn how to turkey hunt.
About the Author
Chris Harmen writes for Adventurebidz.com, an online auction site specializing in turkey hunting gear and other outdoor hobby items. Adventurebidz.com shares these wild turkey hunting tips to help both amateurs and experts alike have a successful hunt.
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NWTF Folding Knife Turkey Call Calls $15.00 |
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NWTF Folding Knife Turkey Call Calls $10.00 |
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WING BONE TURKEY CALL GRAND SLAM TURKEY CALLS FRED COX NWTF $49.99 |
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DEER ANTLER WING BONE TURKEY CALL NWTF $19.99 |
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DEER ANTLER WING BONE TURKEY CALL ON CUSTOM STAND NWTF $39.99 |
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VINTAGE WILD TURKEY STAMPS CALL NWTF 4 PLATE BLOCKS $7.50 |
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2004 NWTF WILD TURKEY STAMP CALL FREE SHIPPING $12.99 |
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2003 NWTF WILD TURKEY STAMP CALL FREE SHIPPING $12.99 |
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MALLARDTONE WORLD CHAMPION WOOD CROW CALL TURKEY GOBBLER LOCATOR NWTF DUCK BIRD $24.99 |
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PITTMAN CROW CALL, NWTF $5.00 |
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NWTF – M.L. LYNCH CALLS 2ND AMENDMENT PATRIOT DELUXE FOOLPROOF TURKEY CALL $49.90 |
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NWTF Glass Pot Turkey Call / Calls of the Year 2004 Limited Edition Blodgett $125.00 |
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MIB VINTAGE ’02 NWTF HUNTING KNIFE KNIVES WILD TURKEY CALL SOUND SET GOLD ETCH $27.00 |
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NM VINTAGE DILL COLO CUSTOM NWTF HUNTING KNIFE KNIVES WILD TURKEY CALL SET ETCH $31.33 |
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1981 NWTF WILD TURKEY STAMP CALL FREE SHIPPING $7.99 |
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4 TURKEY WING FEATHER DECALS stickers decal STICKER CHIEF truck decoy call NWTF $4.99 |
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1984 MISSOURI WILD TURKEY STAMP CALL NWTF FREE SHIP $8.75 |
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RARE! Custom Built Wormy American Chestnut Slate Turkey Call, signed – NWTF QDMA $24.99 |
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1992 NWTF 16th Annual Convention Short Turkey Box Call signed by Dick Kirby $13.83 |
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1983 LOUISIANA WILD TURKEY STAMP CALL NWTF $8.99 |
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2007 NWTF WILD TURKEY HERITAGE STAMP CALL FREE SHIPPING $8.00 |
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2009 NWTF WILD TURKEY HERITAGE STAMP CALL FREE SHIPPING $8.50 |
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NWTF J.A.K.E.S DAY PENN’S WOODS Turkey Box Call Lot Three Calls Kicking Bird $45.00 |
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1982 NWTF WILD TURKEY STAMP CALL FREE SHIPPING $7.99 |
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1983 NWTF WILD TURKEY STAMP CALL FREE SHIPPING $9.99 |
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Case NWTF Chestnut Smooth Bone Trapper with Turkey Call $95.99 A portion of the proceeds goes to the NWTF, which has spent the past quarter century working to conserve our country’s wild turkey population.Tru-Sharp surgical steel blades Chestnut smooth bone handle Brass pins and liners Nickel silver bolsters and exclusive NWTF shield 3-1/8″ clip pt and spey blade lengths 4-1/8″ closed Turkey call included… |
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Tales from the Turkey Woods: Mornings of My Better Days $8.99 Continuing where Hills of Truxton: Stories and Travels of a Turkey Hunter leaves off, acclaimed nature author and outdoorsman Mike Joyner gives fans Tales from the Turkey Woods: Mornings of My Better Days, a second rousing and entertaining glimpse into the adventures of a turkey hunter. The perfect read for outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers; this collection of over thirty vignettes celebrates … |
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Hills of Truxton: Stories & Travels of a Turkey Hunter $7.99 “Each morning that we awake is a blessing in of itself. . .I have found those early spring mornings, sitting in the forests as the sun rises, to be my better days.” Filed with colorful colloquialisms and enlightening anecdotes, Hills of Truxton: Stories & Travels of a Turkey Hunter is as rare a as a triple spurred Gobbler. Author Mike Joyner, a veteran hunter and outdoorsman, recounts some of the … |